Il Divo

The idea behind Il Divo's creation came to Cowell after hearing Andrea Bocelli perform "Con te partirò" while watching The Sopranos. In 2004, G4, a quartet of operatic male singers, also appeared in the UK on Cowell's TV show The X Factor. They finished runners-up, but were signed by Sony records - ironically, the lead singer of this group, Jonathan Ansell, had previously auditioned to be a member of Il Divo. Cowell was already aware of this new appreciation for lyrical voices and classical music, he had decided to form a multinational quartet (the members hail from Spain, Switzerland, France, and the United States, the name being in Italian) that recreated the style of The Three Tenors.

Cowell conducted a worldwide search for young singers who were willing to embark on the Il Divo project, which lasted two years, from 2001 until December 2003, when the fourth member of Il Divo, American tenor David Miller, was signed. The well-established formation of Il Divo comprises a renowned Spanish baritone, Carlos Marín; two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller; and a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard.

Il Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by manager Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music. Il Divo is a group of four male singers: French pop singer Sébastien Izambard, Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, American tenor David Miller, and Swiss tenor Urs Bühler. To date, they have sold more than 26 million albums worldwide.